Wearing apparel and method of making the same



June 27, 1939.

H. c. UNDERWOOD WEARING APPAREL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAM t WM H m NM m M A m a m 4 w June 27, 1939. c, UNDERWOQD 2,163,717

WEARING APPAREL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed March 9, 1936 3 Sheets-shat 2 iE- 39 T z;

IN VE N TOR. .i/ozaam alildi'lflddd ATTORNEY.

June 27, 1939. H, c, U DERWOOD 2,163,717

WEARING APPAREL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed March 9, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 27, 1939 OFFICE WEARING APPAREL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Howard C. Underwood,. New York, N. Y.- Application March 9, 1936, Serial No. 67,744

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wearing apparel and method of making the same, and more particularly in the specific disclosure to collars.

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in view are: to provide an improved wearing apparel construction especially in col-v lars or the like having means for producing in each corner point a locking connection of the materials thereof; to provide a construction whereby the corner points of a collar or the like will inherently tend to turn inwardly instead of curling outwardly as heretofore; to provide a lining for a collar or the like construction having margins of the face material exposed at the inside face of the collar; to provide inwardly turned exposed hem edges away from the upper edges and inside face of the collar; to juxtapose the hem edges of the lining upon the hem edges of the face material; to avoid preliminary stitching and reversal of the face material and lining together; to provide an inter-engagement or interlocking of the face material hem and the lining hem at the points of the collar; to turn in only one ply of the lining material at the point between the turned-in hem plies of overlapping hems of the face material meeting at the corner point of the collar; to apply a single row of stitching to the juxtaposed edges of the turned-in hems of the lining and face materials; to utilize single lines of stitching to complete the juxtaposed hems and to secure the edges of the several materials, and to secure the corner points in locked condition; to shape the corners of the materials forming the outer face, lining and stiffener for proper and interlocked folding and engagement; to prevent fraying of the materials at the edges; to distribute the materials at the corner points and elsewhere in the collar; to distribute the several thicknesses of the materials back from the edges of the collar and the like; to avoid bulkiness at the points; to create a tension inward of the points for tending to curl the points rearward;

to secure permanent shaping and appearance of the points; to employ a method to create crease 4) lines in the materials at the corner points of the collar or the like; to carry out the method in folding the materials at the corner points of the collar; to fold a portion of one material to underlie a portion of another material at a corner and continuing the first said material to overlie the said second material whereby the several materials are interlocked back from the point proper, and creating a permanent corner point by applying stitching thereat; to reduce manufacturing costs from those involved in present day methods; to present a finished wearing apparel employing minimum parts; to secure. simplicity of construction and in the method of producing the same; and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved collar or the like broken away at the center, the showing $10 being of the lining inside of the collar or that part towards the wearers body when being worn.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary portion of one corner point of the collar viewed the same as in Figure 1;

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views taken on lines 4-4 and. 5-5 respectively of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an edge view of one end of the collar;

Figure '7 is an elevation of two blank pieces of material of a part of the wearing apparel, cut and shaped, comprising the face material and stiffener therefor, and embodies the first step of 125 Description As will be seen from the drawings, the invention is directed to improvements in the construction of wearing apparel, and for purposes 1'7 and 18 are elevations of a 130 of illustration the invention is adapted to collars or the like. On the other hand, the description hereinafter to be more fully gone into, may readily be applied to other wearing apparel, such as cuffs, neckwear, coats, vests, trousers and other apparel using pointed corners. disclosure there is show-n a collar 21! constructed of soft pliable material and what is known in the trade as the soft collar type. As illustrated in Figure 1 the collar shown is of the attachable In the present type, and is shown merely as illustrating the application of the invention, and not as being confined thereto, as other collars such as detached and semi-stiff may be constructed in accordance with the terms of the invention.

The present day method of manufacturing attached, soft and semi-stiff collars involves many disadvantages. Some of such disadvantages may be in the form of requiring several rows of stitching to finish the collar, the usual assembly of plies of materials in inverted condition matching the same and then applying the preliminary or initial row of stitching, then turning the stitched material right-side out, after which a second or final stitching operation is applied. Prior art collars so made are usually unsightly in appearance, and especially so after several launderings, the outer edges then becoming distorted due to such causes as bunching of the material, fraying, edge roughening, overlapping of the lining material over the edge of the face material and otherwise, to which the closeness of the stitching of the initial hem sewing to the outer edges is a contributory factor, especially when the stitching becomes exposed after the collar is turned right-side out. Also, the collar corner points become quickly distorted since very little reinforcement to withstand the usual wear is provided. Furthermore, the usual corner point construction has a tendency to cause the corner points to curl outwardly while the collar is being worn and in due time its general appearance becomes ugly to the wearer as well as to others. It is to these and other disadvantages that the present invention is particularly directed to overcome, and in so doing will present a collar very economical to make, of increased durability and one of better appearance.

In carrying out the invention the collar 28 in construction comprises a plurality of plies of material, and for clarity the exposed part of the collar will be termed the outside or face 2i, and the part which in use is toward the wearer as the lining 22. The material comprising the face 2! preferably may be soft and pliable and has on its inner surface and juxtaposed theretoa filler or stiffener 23 of somewhat heavier construction, and which is substantially the same shape as the juxtaposed outer face material 2!, except at the extreme outer corner points, the reason therefore to be hereinafter more fully described. The lining material 22 in shape, is in general substantially similar to the face 2| and stiffener 23, though of somewhat smaller size and differently shaped at the corners. This lining likewise is of a soft pliable material and may well be similar to, if not the same, as the material comprising the face 2!. In actual construction, the said lining 22 is juxtaposed to lie against the underside of the stiffener 23 and is attached to the other parts only after the parts 2! and 23 have been finally shaped and set to receive it, and before any stitching is applied.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the face 25 and the juxtaposed stiffener 23 at their longi-- tudinal edges are folded inwardly to form a longitudinal hem 24, and the transverse edges similarly folded inwardly to form transverse hems 25, with the hems of the stiffener 23, entirely enclosed within the hems of the face 2 I. The lining material 22 similarly is folded outwardly towards the hems 24 and 25, thereby forming a longitudinal hem 26 and transverse hems 27!. When the hems of the said lining are thus folded its edges will be juxtaposed to parts of margins formed by the hems 24 and 25. It is preferable that the lining material hems 26 and 2'! be inward from the hems 24 and 25, in which condition the said hems 24 and 25 will have a margin, comprising the greater r art of the hems exposed. There will, of course, I 2 a portion of the hems 26 and 21 of the lining 22 which is juxtaposed to and over lies the hems 24 and 25 of the face material 2!.

With the respective hems 24, 25, 26 and 21 thus completed, the corner points 28 may now be formed. In construction, the face 2! and stiffener 23 preferably are folded at the extreme cuter points in several steps as shown in Figures 8 to 14 inclusive. For aiding and making the corner point fold and for producing an improved corner point, it is preferable that the stiffener 23, at its corner, be cut away and not have the acute point such as shown in Figure '7, but a stepped back corner of blunt character made up of several obtuse angles and edges, as in Figure 8. As a result it will be noted, that upon making the several folds the acute point of the face material 2i projecting beyond the blunt corner of the stiffener is folded against the several edges of the blunt corner of the stiffener as shown in Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12, bulkiness is greatly minimized. When the corner point folds have been completed the longitudinal hem 24 and transverse hem 25 will overlap. That is to say, either the longitudinal or the transverse hem may overlap the other, and as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 14 it is the transverse hem 25 which overlaps the longitudinal hem at the corner point 23.

The lining material 22 now is ready to be applied to the corner points and be interlocked therewith. Said lining as heretofore stated is of a smaller size than the other materials, and the respective corner points are cut and folded as clearly shown in Figures 15 to 18 inclusive which reinforces the corners of said lining material. In forming the corners it is preferred that the points not be acute and as shown in Figures 1, 3, l4 and 18, the corner provides an extension 29 thereby creating a somewhat blunt construction with all angles obtuse.

As above described the transverse edges of hem 25 overlap a part only of the longitudinal hem 24 of the face material 2!. With the lining 22, hems 25 and 21 juxtaposed at its edges against the hems of the face material, the raw edge of the face material hems are covered with the appropriate amount of material for ultimately being sewn through by stitches next the edges of the lining hems. At the points of the collar, the turned under part of the lining hem is inserted between the overlapping corners of the face hems. According to the present showing, and looking at the inside of the collar, at its point, the exposed surface of the lining is visible over the face hems. The transverse hems 2! of the lining 22 extend to and overlie the transverse hems 25 of the face material 2|. The end of the longitudinal hem 28 of the lining 22 for its entire length overlies the longitudinal hem 24 of the face material, but the end of this longitudinal hem 26 of the lining, instead of resting upon the top of the transverse hems 25 of the face material, projects under it, thus securing an interlocking of the materials at the corner. With the respective hems interlocked at the corners, means for securing the several plies of material together may now be utilized.

Such means preferably comprises a single'row of stitching 3!! applied adjacent the outer edges of the lining 22 and parallel with the folded edges of both the face 2! and lining materials. The stitching is marginally spaced from the edge of the collar and is run to the corner 29 of the lining back from the front of the collar, thereby causing a drawing or curling in of the material 'at the corner points as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6. If desired, the stitching 30 may extend over the edge of the lining material 22 to approximately midway towards the extreme point 28 and through the transverse overlapping hem 25. This continuation of the stitching is optional, as it may easily discontinue immediately at the corher point 29 of the lining material without losing its effectiveness. This is illustrated in the upper right-hand corner of Figure 1.

The materials comprised in the several folds and layers at the corner, are not all concentrated, as heretofore, but are spaced further from the very point of the collars than others. This equalizes the thickness throughout the hems back from the edges and reduces bulkiness and assists in the curling-in tendency of the corner point. All raw edges are protected and a single line of stitching spaced from the very edge of the collar avoids spoiling that edge, yet firmly holds the materials together. The overlapping and interlocking of the hems at the corner point furthermore insures a point which will remain in proper shape and condition as long as the collar lasts.

In carrying out the method of presenting the respective materials 2|, 22 and 23 with crease lines for the folding operation of the aforesaid hems 24, 25, 25 and 21 and the corner points 28 and 29 respectively, the following may be employed. Referring now to Figures 7 to 14 inclusive there is shown one end portion of the collar 2!] which will suffice for illustrating the method, since the opposite end of the collar is similarly constructed as shown in Figure 1. As seen in Figure '7, the first step utilized in the present method is to juxtapose the filler 23 against the inside surface of the face material 2|, and the filler being there shown as the same size as the face material. In Figure 8 the filler 23 at its corner point is cut on lines 3|, 32 and 33 with obtuse angles therebetween, and thereby obtaining a blunt corner for the filler with the material formerly extending to the extreme corner point entirely disposed of. It will be noted that the edges 3|, 32 and 33 are all angularly disposed with respect to each other, and will be now utilized as the guiding or folding medium for the face material 2|.

In Figure 9 the corner point of the face material is folded inwardly on the first line 3| to overlie the inside surface of the filler 23 and face 2|. The said folded portion is angularly disposed with the upper part thereof as overlapping the "said materials at the longitudinal corner edge.

The next step as shown is to fold another portion of the corner material, and a crease line is indicated at 34. This fold of the material is made along the edge 32 of the filler 23 and, as seen in Figure 10, the folded corner material thereupon overlies a part of the material folded in Figure 9. It is to be noted that in the operations so far described that only the corner of the face material 2| has been folded, thereby preventing any undue bulkiness of the material at the corner in completing the steps of the method.

Having folded the material at the corner, it is now ready to receive further operations, namely, that of producing the longitudinal hem 24, and as indicated by a dot and dash line 35 in Figure- 10, the marginal edge may now be folded inwardly along said line and includes the folded corner material. Furthermore, the filler 23 is folded along with the face material 2| with the marginal edge of the filler entirely enclosed in the said marginal edge of the face material. The hem 24 as' completely folded is shown in Figure 11 with a portion of the corner material slightly protruding from the underside thereof. The reason of the slight protrusion may briefly "be stated that it lends reinforcement at the corner when the collar is completed.

The next and final step in completing the folds and shaping of the face material 2| is the transverse hem, and as shown in Figure 11 a crease line 36 is provided for that purpose. The transverse marginal edge is now turned inwardly in "the same general direction as the longitudinal hem, and folded along the crease line 36 with the upper end of the hem 25 overlapping the outer end of the longitudinal hem 24 at the corner.

The forming of the lining 22 with the hems 26 and 21 and the corner point is carried out by the following method, before the said lining is juxtaposed and stitched to the face material and filler hems 24 and 25. As heretofore described, the

lining 22 is of the same general shape as the face 2| but somewhat smaller in size and of different corner point construction. Referring to Figure 15, the lining is cut at its outer corner similar to the stiffener material, with the exception that the longitudinal and transverse edges instead of terminating into an acute point stops at an angularly disposed blunt corner edge 31. In forming the corner point the first step in folding is obtained by folding the corner material defined by said edge on crease line 40, the folding being in an outward direction, as indicated in Figure 16, and with the turned-in material juxtaposed against the lining material.

The hems 26 and 21 now are ready to be folded. In this connection, it may be said that the transverse hem 21 is indicated as being the one first made as will become apparent from the disclosure shown in Figures 13 and 15, but this may be otherwise if desired and with a corresponding change in the order of folding the face material. The marginal edge appearing at the transverse edge of the lining is folded on crease line 4| parallel to said transverse edge and is folded outwardly and juxtaposed against the material with a part of the folded corner material interposed therebetween as in Figure 17. The marginal edge longitudinal of the collar is folded along crease line 42 parallel to said edge, thereby producing the hem 26. Thisv hem 25 towards its outer corner point overlaps the transverse hem 21. The corner material thus folded on lines 40, 4| and 42, results in the point not being necessarily sharply defined, and that a blunt point 29 results.

The lining 22 as thus folded at edges and 5555 corner, is now made secure to the hems 24 and 25 of the face 2|. As seen in Figure 13 the lining 22 is reversed from the showing in Figures 16, 1'7 and 18 with the peripheral margins of the lining hems juxtaposed against the inner margins of the hems and runs either transversely or longitudinally to the corner '29 of the lining or to approximately midway to the point 28 as in Figure 14. In carrying out the interlocking at the corner, the outer end of the longitudinal hem 26 of the lining underlies the outer end of the transverse hem 25 of the face 2|, and then continues over the outside edge thereof, and as the transverse hem 21. It will be readily observed that a perfect interlocking of the materials at the corner is obtained, and with the stitching 33 securing the materials together the corner point is drawn inwardly. Further, the stitching 30 is applied to extend entirely through the several plies of material thereby requiring .no'othen 5.75

stitching, and the collar now is fully completed and ready for service.

I claim:

1. A method of forming wearing apparel having a face material, a lining and a stiffener, consisting in forming the stiffener with a general shape and dimension corresponding to the face material but with a corner cut away, folding the corner of the face material over the cutaway corner of the stiffener, folding the face material and stiffener to form intersecting hems at the corner, and applying the lining thereto.

2. A method of forming wearing apparel having a face material, a lining and a stiffener, consisting in forming the stiffener with a general shape and dimension corresponding to the face material but with a corner cut away, folding the corner of the face material over the cutaway corner of the stiffener, folding the face material and stiffener to form intersecting hems at the corner, folding the lining material to form hems and juxtaposing the hems of the lining upon the hems of the face material.

3. A method of forming wearing apparel having a face material, a lining and a stiffener, consisting in forming the stiffener with a general shape and dimension corresponding to the face material but with a corner cut away, folding the corner of the face material over the cutaway corner of the stiffener, folding the face material and stiffener to form intersecting hems at the corner, folding the lining material of less size than the face material but of greater size than the inner edges of the turned-in hem edges thereof, juxtaposing the outer margins of the hems of the lining upon the inner margins of the face material, and securing the hems together.

4. A method of forming wearing apparel having a face material, a lining and a stiffener, consisting in forming the stiffener with a general shape and dimension corresponding to the face material but with a corner cut away, folding the corner of the face material over the cutaway corner of the stiifener, folding the face material and stiffener to form intersecting hems at the corner, folding the lining material of less size than the face material but of greater size than the inner edges of the turned-in hem edges thereof, juxtaposing the outer margins of the hems of the lining upon the inner margins of the face material, and running a single line of stitching through the overlapping juxtaposed portions of the hems.

5. A method of forming wearing apparel having a face material, a lining and a stiffener, consisting in forming the stiffener with a general shape and dimension corresponding to the face material but with a corner cut away, folding the corner of the face material over the cut-away corner of the stiffener, folding the face material and stiffener to form intersecting hems at the corner, folding the lining material of less size than the face material but of greater size than the inner edges of the turned-in hem edges thereof, juxtaposing the outer margins of the hems of the lining upon the inner margins of the face material, and running a single line of stitching parallel to the outer edge of the apparel formed by the fold for the face material hem and spaced inwardly from said outer edge through the overlapping juxtaposed portions of the hems.

6. A method of forming wearing apparel having a face material, a lining and a stiffener, consisting in forming the stiffener with a general shape and dimension corresponding to the face material but with a corner cut away, folding the corner of the face material over the cutaway corner of the stiffener, folding the face material and stiffener to form intersecting hems at the corner, folding the lining material of less size than the face material but of greater size than the inner edges of the turned-in hem edges thereof, juxtaposing the outer margins of the hems of the lining upon the inner margins of the face material, and running a single line of stitching parallel to the outer edge of the apparel formed by the fold for the face material hem and spaced inwardly from said outer edge through the overlapping juxtaposed portions of the hems, and securing the hems and the materials simultaneously thereby.

'7. An article of wearing apparel of the class described comprising a face material with meeting edges folded for forming hems, a stiffener superimposed upon said face material and substantially of the same general size and shape of the face material but with the corners corresponding to said meeting edges cut away to form an obtuse blunt corner, and the corner portion of the face material projecting beyond the cut away part of the stiffener being bent over the said blunt end of the stiffener with said blunt end defining the line of bending of said face material, a lining material likewise folded at corresponding meeting edges for forming hems, and the hems of one material being interengaged with the hems of the other material at parts of each, and means for securing the hems and materials together and exerting a normal tendency for curling said corners inwardly.

8. An article of wearing apparel of the class described comprising a face material with meeting edges folded for forming hems, a stiffener superimposed upon said face material and substantially of the same general size and shape of the face material but with the corners corresponding to said meeting edges cut away to form an obtuse blunt corner, and the corner portion of the face material projecting beyond the cut away part of the stiffener being bent over the said blunt end of the stiffener with said blunt end defining the line of bending of said face material, a lining material likewise folded at corresponding meeting edges for forming hems, and the hems of one material being interengaged with the hems of the other material at parts of each, and means for securing the hems and materials together, said means comprising a single line of stitches passing through the said hems and materials, and said stitches at the corners passing through the interengaged parts drawing the corners inwardly and thereby exerting a normal tendency for curling said corners inwardly.

9. An article of wearing apparel of the class described comprising a face material and a lining material superposed one upon the other and each having an outside longitudinal and an outside end edge corresponding to like outside edges of the other material, said outside edges of each material intersecting at an angle, the angle of the outside edges of the face material corresponding to and being substantially the same as the angle of the outside edges of the lining material, all of said outside edges having hems turned inwardly between the superposed materials, each material having an end of one hem terminating at an angle more acute than said angle of inter section of the outside edges of the material with the said more acute angular end of the one hem interengaged with the said more acute angular end of the other hem diagonally between the said outside meeting edges of the materials for spacing the overlapping of the interengaged hem edges from the outside edges of the article.

10. An article of wearing apparel in accordance with claim 9 wherein said lining material has its outside edges spaced inwardly from the corresponding outside edges of the face material substantially the depth of the hem of the face material whereby the face material also comprises the exposed marginal surface at the lining side of the article.

11. An article of wearing apparel in accordance with claim 9 wherein said lining material has its outside edges spaced inwardly from the corresponding outside edges of the face material substantially the depth of the hem of the face material whereby the face material also comprises the exposed marginal surface at the lining side of the article, and a line of stitching also spaced inwardly from the outside edges of the face material substantially the depth of the hem of the face material and passing through the hem of the face material next the inner edge of said hem and passing through the hem of the lining material next the outside thereof.

12. An article of wearing apparel in accordance with claim 9 wherein said lining material has its outside edges spaced inwardly from the corresponding outside edges of the face material substantially the depth of the hem of the face material whereby the face material also comprises the exposed marginal surface at the lining side of the article, and a line of stitching also spaced inwardly from the outside edges of the face material substantially the depth of the hem of the face material and passing through the hem of the face material next the inner edge of said hem and passing through the hem of the lining material next the outside thereof, said line of stitching also passing through interengaged portions of said hems inwardly from the corner of the outside edges of the facing material thereby exerting a normal tendency for said corner to curl inwardly.

HOWARD C. UNDERWQOD. 

